A Pawn's Passage

Under normal circumstances, Heavenly Beings would not fly in major towns because it was too conspicuous. It was also easily perceived as harboring malicious intent, because why else would someone fly so high in a densely populated city?

This was especially true for secret society members who wanted to conceal their identities.

However, there were exceptions. For instance, brief nighttime flights under the cover of darkness were feasible. Another scenario was when someone was unafraid of being discovered, as they relied on some form of protection.

Today’s situation involved both the cover of the night and the confidence of having a backer.

There were quite a few Heavenly Beings in Jinling Prefecture. However, they were either embroiled in the investigation or standing by as observers. Since this involved the infighting of the Daoist Order, most people outside the inner circle would not act rashly, especially when the situation was still unclear.

In fact, even before the meeting began, several important figures had temporarily left Jinling Prefecture.

For instance, the Chief Admiral of Jiangnan left Jinling Prefecture under the pretense of inspecting local offices and was now in Qiantang Prefecture.

After Lei Xiaohuan ordered the encirclement of St. Mary’s Church, the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master went straight to Jade Capital, accompanied by several deputies. He had played a role in facilitating the compromise between the Golden Tower Council and the Holy Court.

The other affairs of the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion were naturally left to the Chief Deputy Bai Yingqiong and the Second Deputy Li Tianlan.

Additionally, the Governor of Jiangnan went to the Jiangnan Naval Base, accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangnan Navy, for a half-month inspection of coastal defenses.

As summer in Jinling Prefecture was rainy, and the flood season was approaching, the Jiangzhou Civil Affairs Commissioner had already begun inspecting river defense embankments and would not return to Jinling anytime soon.

According to the Imperial Observatory’s calculations, this year’s flood would far exceed last year’s, so several Chief Military Officers stationed in the region would assist in these flood control and evacuation efforts.

There were also some free-spirited Heavenly Beings with no entanglements who did not even need an excuse to leave—they just left.

The current Jinling Prefecture still appeared heavily guarded, but in reality, it was a shell of its former strength, much like Zhenwu Temple now.

Zhenwu Temple was originally well-guarded, with numerous Spirit Guards from four main groups.

Jiangnan Daoist Mansion’s Spirit Guards handled the perimeter, while the interior was managed by Spirit Guards from Beichen Hall, Tiangang Hall, and Ziwei Hall.

At the moment, Ziwei Hall’s Spirit Guards followed Lei Xiaohuan and Pei Xiaolou in their respective tasks, while Beichen Hall’s Spirit Guards had been reassigned by Li Mingcheng, leaving only Tiangang Hall’s Spirit Guards defending Zhenwu Temple.

After firing his pistol as a warning, Qi Xuansu immediately realized their lack of defense. A deep sense of dread welled up in his heart.

Without a second thought, he turned and ran toward the dungeon.

Meanwhile, the dungeon was isolated from the outside world. A single gunshot was not enough to alarm those inside, so the dungeon remained as it was—brightly lit, with people coming and going.

Zhang Yuelu still sat at her desk, reading the newly obtained confession. After only a few lines, she felt a sense of unease.

Daoist practitioners often spoke of sudden intuitions, especially those who practiced Purple Star Astrology. Under certain circumstances, they could even foresee the future. It was said that Buddhist disciples who practiced the Psychic Method could also glimpse the future in their dreams.

Zhang Yuelu had experienced sudden intuitions more than once, and they had always been accurate.

She placed the confession on her desk, gesturing for the Spirit Guards beside her to take Ye Xiu away. Then she casually picked up her horsetail whisk and gently stroked it, much like a man stroking his beard.

Ye Xiu had broken under interrogation, providing new confessions that detailed his dealings with the Heavenly Court and the tasks he had performed for Li Tianlan.

Although this seasoned thug had not completely given up hope and still withheld some information for fear of being discarded after confessing everything, it was only a matter of time.

The Golden Tower Council had finished negotiations with the Holy Court, which agreed to hand over the individual in question, at the earliest in a day, and at the latest within three days. The Daoist officials could enter St. Mary’s Church to arrest Marshal Wind.

Without the support of the Holy Court, Cardinal Deacon Shi Luosi would not be able to cause much trouble.

Meanwhile, Pei Xiaolou received word that one of Li Tianlan’s subordinates, unable to withstand the pressure, was preparing to flee. The Sage personally set out to capture the fugitive but not before ensuring someone informed Zhang Yuelu.

By all appearances, the situation seemed highly favorable to them, as the case would see a major breakthrough in just a few days.

At that point, no amount of pressure tactics would matter. It was like a battlefield—victory would suppress all contradictions, rendering them insignificant. Conversely, failure would cause all suppressed contradictions to erupt at once.

As long as the case made significant progress, there would be no four stages, only one definitive stage—victory.

However, Zhang Yuelu did not let her guard down.

That was because none of these mattered. Ye Xiu’s confession, the arrest of Marshal Wind, or the capture of the fleeing superintendent were not yet set in stone.

In other words, there was still a chance for the situation to reverse.

This was the darkness before dawn, the darkest moment of the day.

Qi Xuansu’s gunshot only managed to alarm the Spirit Guards nearby. However, before they could react, a sudden volley of gunfire rained down on them.

The Spirit Guard’s Armor was indeed resilient, but the ambushers’ firearms were equally exceptional. They used Sun-Shooting Rifles loaded with Grade-B Series One Dragon Eye Bullets.

Such firearms and bullets were waterproof, allowing the attackers to carry them on their backs as they swam underwater.

Qi Xuansu was about to retreat into the dungeon with the other Spirit Guards when a figure descended from the sky, blocking the dungeon’s entrance. It was the same person who had risen from the moonlit reflection on the lake.

This person was tall and stout, like a small mountain. He wore a black hechang but no inner garment, leaving his chest and belly exposed. His broad face and large ears were flushed red, exuding arrogance. Around his neck hung a string of crystal beads carved into the shape of human skulls, each the size of a fist and inlaid with various gemstones—an utterly terrifying sight.

However, what truly shocked Qi Xuansu was not the man’s appearance but the overwhelming intensity of his blood qi, which was almost inconceivable. One’s fervent blood qi could burn like fire, and from the perspective of an out-of-body soul, such blood qi would appear as a blazing sun.

Normally, though, it would not manifest to this degree.

Yet, just by standing there, this man exuded a wave of heat that seemed to raise the surrounding temperature.

This was a manifestation of blood qi that emanated outward.

However, this was highly unusual. The physique of a Heavenly Being Martial Arts Practitioner was meticulously refined like an airtight container, preventing blood qi from leaking out. So how could such a spillage of blood qi occur?

This man’s blood qi was immense but unrefined, making it impossible to contain. The loose nature of his blood qi likely contributed to his bloated physique. Normally, a Heavenly Being could control their body shape with ease. If he could not, there had to be a reason.

“Let it be known—I am the Heavenly Court’s Marshal Tianpeng. Today, I’ve come to test the power of the Daoist Order.” Marshal Tianpeng declared, his voice thunderous, shaking people’s eardrums as his blood qi surged like a tide.

With a casual wave of his hand, a group of Spirit Guards were sent flying, ending up either injured or dead.

Qi Xuansu leaped back, feeling his chest tighten and his breathing labored.

At the moment, the dungeon’s entrance was tantalizingly close yet impossibly far, completely inaccessible.

“Eh?” Marshal Tianpeng was surprised that Qi Xuansu was not completely overpowered by his wave and threw another punch toward him.

The decisive Qi Xuansu did not dare take the punch head-on and immediately turned to flee in another direction.

Regardless of whether Marshal Tianpeng’s blood qi was refined, his cultivation level as a Heavenly Being was undeniable.

Qi Xuansu knew he was no match for this man, so his only choice was to avoid direct confrontation. Unfortunately, the yin energy in this area was not strong enough for him to summon the Three Yin Beings to assist him.

Marshal Tianpeng frowned slightly but did not pursue Qi Xuansu. Instead, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to give chase.

During this brief moment of distraction, the dungeon’s entrance had already been sealed, and its internal formation had been activated.

The dungeon was no ordinary place, designed with defensive formations from the outset. The materials used in its construction were exceptional, as shown by the stone door sealing the entrance that was over 3 meters thick.

Breaking through such a stone door would require significant effort, even for a Heavenly Being.

Marshal Tianpeng chuckled lightly, descended the steps, and delivered a powerful palm strike to the underground stone door.

A thunderous sound echoed as the surrounding ground trembled. A clear and distinct palm print appeared on the stone door, and cracks spread outward from the center of the imprint.

The power of this strike was immense, but still insufficient to bring down the 3-meter-thick stone door.

“Hmph! What a tortoise.” Marshal Tianpeng snorted.

Marshal Tianpeng showed neither panic nor haste as he ordered his subordinates. “Eliminate the Spirit Guards in Zhenwu Temple and deploy the Grade-A Series Eight Phoenix Eye Bombs in the planned locations.”